The FCC Media Bureau’s designated May 29, 2015 “Pre-Auction Licensing Deadline” is rapidly approaching. Full power and Class A facilities must be licensed by this deadline in order to be eligible for protection in the repacking process that will be part of the television incentive auction. For these purposes, facilities subject to a pending application
April 2015
Teladoc Embarks on Road to an IPO
Teladoc, Inc. started the long road to an IPO yesterday, announcing that it had taken the first step in the process by submitting an S-1 registration statement — the very detailed disclosure document required by regulators — with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.…
EEOC Proposes New Restrictions for Health Awareness Programs
By Amy N. Moore
After years of confusing and sometimes contradictory signals (described in previous posts here and here), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has finally proposed a regulation explaining how employment-based wellness programs can satisfy the Americans with Disabilities Act.…
ONC Data Brief Describes Positive Trends in the Adoption of EHR Systems
In a recently released Data Brief, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) described trends in adoption of Basic EHR and certified EHR in non-federal acute care hospitals from 2008 to 2014. “Basic EHR represents a minimum use of core functionality determined to be essential to an EHR system.” “A…
Continuing Developments on Telemedicine in the U.S. Senate
Last week, the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet held a hearing on “Advancing Telehealth through Connectivity.” The hearing explored the need to expand telehealth nationwide, with a particular focus on rural areas.
Several experts lauded the benefits of telehealth, including helping to lower health care costs and improve patient outcomes. However, these…
Supreme Court to Consider Whether Actual Harm is Required to Recover Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari and agreed to consider Robins v. Spokeo, Inc., in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that Thomas Robins had adequately alleged Article III standing to sue website operator Spokeo, Inc. (“Spokeo”) under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. § 1681…
HIPAA Settlement Follows Unsecured Paper Records Disposal
A small Denver pharmacy agreed to a $125,000 settlement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after HHS alleged that the pharmacy failed to dispose of paper records that contained patient information in accordance with HIPAA.
According to the Resolution Agreement, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) received a report…
Doubts Raised About GSA’s New Vision for Federal Contracting
If comments at a recent public meeting are any indication, the General Service Administration’s proposed Transactional Data Reporting rule may be in danger of stalling before it even gets started. The proposed rule, announced to great fanfare last month, has been trumpeted by GSA as a “new vision for Federal purchasing.” During an all-day public…
FCC’s Agenda for April 28th Broadband Consumer Privacy Public Workshop
The FCC has announced its agenda and panelists for its public workshop on protecting the privacy of consumers who use broadband Internet access services, which will be held on April 28.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will give opening remarks and Matt Blaze, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania, will…
CMS Releases Proposed Rules Modifying Stage 2 of EHR’s Meaningful Use Requirements
On April 10th, CMS issued a new proposed rule modifying Stage 2 requirements for meaningful use under the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive program. According to CMS, the rule is “intended to be responsive to provider concerns about software implementation, information exchange readiness, and other related concerns in 2015.” The newly proposed modifications are also…